Going into the office 5 days a week!

[Honeybunnny]

Hi

Im REALLY struggling with a good job offer which would probably kick start my career as it requires me to be fully office based. The office is a 2 minute drive so will have practically 0 commute but I have worked hybrid for a few years and I just love it. It changed my life so much and I am so much more relaxed at home, and more productive in general. It was a game changer for me.

The thought of returning to an office 5 days a week makes me feel queasy and I just can't shake it off.

It would be a shame to turn down the role purely because I can't bear to be in an office, they do not offer hybrid at all.

Any thoughts or has anyone gone from remote to office work?

Thank you

So you’re so much more relaxed at home. That’s lovely. What about people in jobs that can’t be done from home - I wonder how relaxed they are. I think you could have worded your post better - you sound not especially interested in being too productive.

I genuinely have a day off today, but I wonder how many of the wfh fans here are working....

If it’s only a 2 minute drive to the office I hope you’d be walking rather than driving.

🙄 Are people not allowed to talk about the parts of the job they like without worrying they might upset people who don’t have those parts?

Have I?

You said " I hope that the change in work landscape from COVID has really helped disabled people have greater opportunities to work in an environment that works for them."

I am asking your opinion if you think an enforced 5 days a week in the office is the way to do that.

Whilst I really enjoy WFH, my reluctance to return to the office for more days is mainly financial, and time spent travelling (£7k plus and 3 hours a day). If I could work locally for a similar salary but more days in the office, I would consider it.

Your disdain for those who aren't licking the boot with 8 hours of performative presenteeism a day is clear in this post. I'm sorry your job is hard work but not every job is, or has to be. That doesn't make people bad at their job.

How much difference does it make really? A 2 minute drive ? How long does it take you to set up at home each morning. Better division between home and work life. Popping back home at lunchtime if needs be. Sure you can’t hang out the washing and unload the dishwasher while you work but you could accommodate that if you put your mind to it . Take it and see how your career path develops .

I always laugh at the claim that people are more productive at home. Anyone who has actually worked for a company who allows it and is actually honest, knows that this is absolute nonsense.

I left my job at a local authority (county council) which was fully remote, as I couldn't deal with colleagues who were impossible to reach all the time. It was well known that people were using the time doing housework, shopping or running errands. I also think it is impossible to get the same kind of career development and experience when you aren't working side by side with colleagues and able to talk things through or learn from them.

Its up to you, but if this is a dealbreaker for you I would say that career progression isn't really your thing....

I tend to agree with this too @TottenhamCake although I do think it can depend on the type of job.
if you’re very managerial and client facing then I think being amongst others in your team is good. If you’re in finance or R&D or something where you’re creating a report/ spreadsheet/ piece of copy - then having 6 hours uninterrupted is very productive.

but generally if I had zero commute and the chance to progress I would be jumping at it.

I’m not engaging in an argument. I’ve told you what I meant which was not intended to cause any upset or debate at all. You have just misunderstood as I have already explained. God knows what is up with some people on here 🙄

Rubbish. I’m an NHS consultant who works entirely remotely. I also do various policy, teaching and legal work - also from home. I am more efficient at home without office distractions. It certainly hasn’t held me back with career progression either!

It really depends on the job and the person.

Or perhaps they've tried WFH and they simply don't like it.

OK, sure. You must be the exception to the rule then.

My point is I’m no exception to the rule. Plenty of people work from home efficiently, including most of my team and posters on this thread. I don’t know why you find it so hard to believe.

Your inability to produce a coherent argument about why working from home is soo productive or an example of a job with a limited, specific number of daily tasks to be completed without resorting to insults and hyperbole is clear.

Your interpretation of what I wrote is poor as well. I didn't say my job was "hard work". I said it wasn't the type of work that fits into the category of "well I've dealt with my daily allotted cases, I'll just stop working now"

Sigh, my DH is facilities too and has just been made redundant from a job where he was hybrid. Hate the fact he's likely to have to be in the office full-time when he gets a new role.

Add me and my team to those numbers as well.

I’d be exactly the same as you OP but I always find it really interesting that for so many years of our working life it was just the norm to be fully office based and now so many people are acclimatised to hybrid or remote working and the thought of five days in the office seems unimaginable! I digress but no I don’t think I would do it, unless it was a really amazing opportunity that could change my life. Even then I’m not entirely sure 😂

This. Most of us spent years with a proper, and long winded, commute. This seems ideal. 🤷‍♀️

God no. I couldn't go back to office based even half the time. My old pre-covid job was a 3 minute drive, I came home daily for lunch and switching to WFH was still life changing. I'm in a different job now with a 2 hour commute but only in the office one day per week. I negotiated my office days in the new job down from 3 to 1 - is that a possibility?

I came within a hair's breadth of taking a job SOLELY on the basis I could walk there and back. But it really wasn't the right role, and in the end my saner self prevailed.

Seems to me a no-brainer - you'd be insane not to take the job. There is a difference between a job where you have to fight with public transport or traffic to get there and one which is an easy stroll down the road, and that may well be a big factor in your views about office working. Think about some of the advantages - you won't have to pay for heating, lighting, running a computer, you'll have people around for company, you won't be subject to everyone assuming you're available to take parcels in, open the door to callers, do the housework, etc etc.

Focus on the 'Kickstart your career' bit and JFDI.

It would be ridiculous to pass over this opportunity.

Plenty of people have to go into work and they survive. If you can't face it then don't take the job but make peace with the fact you may never be promoted or ever again get a job 5 mins walk away.